Friday, July 3, 2009 - 9:01 AM
India's decision to legalize gay sex is fueiling a debate in the Indian blogosphere. From Indian Express:
Bringing out the deep divisions in Indian society about homosexuality, netizens have given a mixed reaction to the court ruling legalising gay sex, with some terming it as a "great judgement" and some saying same-sex relations are "unnatural" and against Indian culture.
Comments poured in blogs and media websites after the Delhi High Court gave the path-breaking judgement legalising gay sex between consenting adults.
"It (the judgement) will give dignity to all individuals irrespective of their sexual inclination," writes a man from Thane in Maharashtra while one netizen describes it as a "great judgement" that will "let everyone be free and live by his or her free will."
"Legalising gay couples was left too late. About time it was done. All over the world gays are accepted by the people so why not in India," asks another.
However, there are others who differ, calling homosexuality "unnatural", harmful for Indian culture and anti-religion. Many comments are strongly abusive of the gay and lesbian communities.
"Our culture never accepts this kind of activity," says a post, while another asks "Why not decriminalise/ legalise polygamy and polyandry also? Lets include adultery too."
In the cyber war on the issue, gay rights supporters have come out strongly against the argument that this will harm Indian culture.
Indian bloggers spar over gay rights
Here is my two cents worh - the Supreme Court verdict in India is going to lead to politicization of gay sex there just like Supreme Court verdict on abortion led to politicization of that issue in US. Catholic Christians and Muslim Imams are up in arms against this lifting. Indian government’s real leader Sonia Gandhi is a Roman Catholic who panders to Muslims. It is doubtful that Indian Parliament will discard Colonial-Era law against gay sex under such circumstances. So this lifting will be very short-lived at best.
Evgeny Morozov, originally from Belarus, is a visiting scholar at Stanford and a Schwartz Fellow at the New America Foundation.
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